The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Inexpensive Paint Job

I just got my '57 Chevrolet 3100 on the road today. It is a factory V8, Custom Cab, BBW. I am very excited with the mechnical overhaul. It needs body work and I plan to get to that in time, after I get some more electrical and mechanical issues ironed out. Currently, it is covered with 4 different colors of primer, and I want to put a coat of paint on it to "pretty up" the body until I have the funds to have the body work done and a quality finish put on it. My questions is:
1) I have access to an HVLP set up. Do I put a coat on myself?
2) Do I go the MAACO route and invest a couple of hundred bucks for a temporary paint job?
What do you think?

i say...HVLP the beast!

go to your nearest FleetFarm, Tractor Supply CO, etc etc...and get yourself some implement paint. it's relatively cheap, and comes in enough colors that it should suit your purpose.

pick some up, along with some thinner, and a few rolls of masking tape..and...after a bit of prep work..spray away.

it holds up just fine. we did our tractors without hardener, or primer, or any real kind of prep work..and 10+ years later...holding up ok. a little bit of fade, but still holding up, and keeping visible rust away.


just my 2 cents. this is what i'll be doing to my truck when the time comes. just some implement/industrial paint with some decent prep work should make a simple durable exterior.

.later days.
.sam.

I'd spend the few hundred dollars and get a MAACO paint job. This will last you for some time, and will allow you to focus your time on the other issues you were mentioning.

my .02 worth....

Tiom

...as long as you don't let maaco attempt to do the body work...

-shrug-

I had fun doing my low buck paint job...Samwise is right..your local TSC or Fleet Farm or whatever should sell a tractor paint made by Valspar. It has to be sprayed and not brushed. Add a little hardner that is sold along with it. That way, you will have the Macco money to spend on other "stuff".

Thanks for the feedback, folks! Yesterday, I invested in three $5 cans of flat black primer to mask the various and sundry other primer colors, so I now have the body all in black. I even sprayed the rear bumper with a "chrome" paint to cover the yellow finish applied by some previous owner. For the ~$20 invested, I am very pleased. I think that I will give the HVLP rig a try in the near future.

Eventually, I want to paint the truck red. Do you think that I can get a decent look with red implement paint (shot onto the current black) through the HVLP set up or should I stick with a darker color (maybe keep it black for now)?

Thanks again for your input!!

Jim-

If you are gonna paint it red, you might lay a coat of red primer over the black primer first.

I also plan on getting my truck painted the original red color in the near future. I was removing some flaking paint and rust spots myself as I have time. I already have gray primer that I bought for the interior to go under the gray paint. Will gray primer work okay under the red exterior paint that I am planning on getting?

Lumbergh,

I asked the same question a week or so ago. The response I got was that primer color should not matter. The paint should cover it up. If you take a look at my webshots pics, I used a gray primer underneath the red I shot. It turned out OK. I am not totally happy with it, but "a cheap steak is better than going hungry". If I am reading Martin SR's response right, the red oxide colored primer might leave you with a better coverage and look to your DIY paint job. I found red oxide after I was done...of course.

I could not afford a nice paint job right now. Some folks don't like the word "cheap". If they want to send me the money, I will be more than glad to spend it!!! primer question link

i once got a very nice looking finish with enamel trim (house) paint and a good brush.
another time a good primed finish using those electric paint guns, the ones that vibrate.

Jim72, is there anyway I could see the results of your paint job? I might invest in the implement route if I could see how yours turned out. If not its okay.

Bowtie,

Click on the link...


My paint job done with spray application only implement paint....

I will be the first to admit, this paint job is a 5 foot wonder. It looks great from 5 feet! Since I have never sprayed paint before, I can accept the results.

As posted above, I would love to spend more money on paint, but many things would suffer...probably my marriage for starters..

I have about $80 invested in paint and primer...yes, the pros would say "I can tell". But I am building a driver that I can use, drive, leave out in the rain, haul dirt, and leave at the mall in that parking spot right up by the front door without fear.

The paint I used is made by Valspar. My local Fleet Farm sells it, also the TSC or Tractor Supply sells it too. My color is IHC red.

I just put a coat of implement paint on my horse trailer, since so many here guys recommended it. I LOVE IT!

It went on easy, was really cheap, and feels great - it feels like auto paint. I got mine from TSC. I'm tempted to put it on my '59. If I decide to go red, it will be with implement paint.

Kimberly,

If you have not tried the black at TSC, it is awesome!

I wish they had a blue that looked like GM's export blue....the only blue I found was old ford blue...

The old Case orange looked kind of cool if I were going to do a cheap rat rod!

Correct on the TSC Black,a little Catalyist adds to the gloss and it lay's down easily and is durable, I think the 46 look's cool with a Red Cab, Hood,and Bed Sides and the Fenders Black.

i sometimes don't think there is a cheap paint job
but
i can't paint
so i went to the local paint supply guy and got a recomendation for a couple of painters around town. I will use this truck as a daily driver and it needs not be 100% in body, every dent filled and 17 coats of laquer,naugh, just a clean looking paint job. i found one who will use a good paint PPG
should you go to macco or miracle , they use the poorest quality paint on the market and it's their specific brand. SO even if you get a good paint job and your truck is in great shap to start off w/ (let's just say)
the paint will last you 3-5 years.

my.02

If you stay with a primer that is the same/similar color to the paint coverage will be better and if you get a ding or chip the primer won't be as noticable.

Farm equipment dealers also sell their factory colors at about the same cost as the local farm store.

Here is a link to another thread on this type of paint. And read a bit and you can see a JD tractor I did up:

Tractor Paint